Comments

Global Hip Hop Day Launches on June 8th with Official Proclamation and Unveiling of Hip Hop Boulevard

Kickoff Events Will Celebrate Hip Hop’s Global Impact on Commerce, Culture and Community

New York, NY – May 16, 2017—The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the office of The Bronx Borough President and HOT 97 will launch Global Hip Hop Day on June 8th with an official Proclamation Ceremony and unveiling of Hip Hop Boulevard at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue (Bronx, New York)– the birthplace of hip hop and home of legendary hip hop pioneer Kool Herc.

Global Hip Hop Day will acknowledge hip hop’s ability to unite people and create positive cultural impact with the official Proclamation and street renaming Ceremony, followed by a community Block Party at Cedar Playground. Additional invitation only events— including an Industry Conversation and VIP Celebration—are planned to foster the current and future growth of hip hop’s positive influence.

Hip Hop, forged in the five boroughs of New York City, has spread far beyond its origins in the Bronx to become, according to marketing powerhouse Steve Stoute, “a catalytic force majeure that went beyond musical boundaries and into the psyche of young America.” Global Hip Hop Day celebrates this ‘catalytic force’ with the acknowledgement of hip hop’s cultural and commercial capital and the pervasive power of an art form that has become an international behemoth.

Global Hip Hop Day takes place in June, as a part of the City of New York’s official New York Music Month and nationally recognized Black Music Month. The day also precedes HOT 97’sSummer Jam on June 11th— hip hop’s most iconic and internationally recognized summer concert event— and is a precursor to Summer Jam global expansion announcements.

Global Hip Hop Day events will commence at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx with the official Proclamation by NYC Media and Entertainment Commissioner Julie Menin and the unveiling of Hip Hop Boulevard. 1520 Sedgwick Avenue is the address where DJ Kool Herc co-hosted an early house party in August 1973, where he extended the instrumental backbeat of funk records, over which he began MC’ing—laying the foundation for Hip Hop music.

“We are thrilled to unveil Hip Hop Boulevard at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx, the birthplace of hip hop,” said Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.“The Bronx is an iconic, internationally renowned hip hop destination, the home of a once rebellious art form that has, over generations, become a global powerhouse. To designate this area as a landmark and celebrate this occasion with the pioneers who started it all— many of whom still hold close ties to this community— is a remarkable and historic moment for our borough.”

"Hip Hop is a global movement that was born in the Bronx,” added Vanessa L. Gibson, councilwoman for the Bronx’s 16th District. “I'm so proud to solidify our borough's place in hip hop history— and hip hop's place in the Bronx's history— through the official unveiling of Hip Hop Boulevard in front of 1520 Sedgwick Ave. Hip Hop has become an international phenomenon that has inspired generations of young people to express themselves and celebrate their culture. As we commemorate hip hop's birthplace, I thank the many stakeholders and community members who have worked to preserve hip hop's place in history, as well as the hip hop pioneers and trailblazers who started this movement years ago."

“New York City is the music capital of the world,” said Julie Menin, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. “And hip hop, which has become not only a multi-billion-dollar industry, but also a vitalway for young people from Paris to Vietnam to share their stories with the world, was forged here in New York City and went on to become the voice of generations across the globe. We are proud to proclaim June 8th as Global Hip Hop Day in the City of New York, part of the City’s inaugural New York Music Month, the first ever citywide celebration of the past, present and future of New York’s music. Beyond history and economics, Global Hip Hop Day celebrates the musical diversity that is a central part of who we are as a city.”

For a full schedule of events and additional press information, please contact PR Noir at (212) 966-2720 or
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

About the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment encompasses the key economic and creative sectors of film, TV, theater, music, advertising, publishing, digital content and real estate as it relates to these industries. In total, these sectors account for over 305,000 jobs, and an economic output of $104 billion. The office promotes New York City as a thriving center of creativity, issuing permits for productions filming on public property, and facilitating production throughout the five boroughs. It also oversees NYC Media, the largest municipal broadcasting entity in the country including five TV Stations and a radio station with a reach of 18 million households in a 50-mile radius.

About HOT 97

WQHT HOT 97 FM is the world's first all Hip Hop station and has held the dominant position in New York for over twenty years. HOT 97 is best known for its celebrity on air talent, such as Ebro Darden (Asst. Programming Director, radio host for Beats1), Funk Flex (television host, multiple gold records) and Nessa (television personality and host for MTV), as well as being the world's premier source for Hip Hop music culture. HOT97 online and the Where Hip Hop Lives app are the destinations for original web series, celebrity content, concerts and music videos. For more information, please visit www.HOT97.com, and follow us on facebook.com/HOT97official, twitter.com/HOT97, instagram.com/HOT97, and youtube.com/HOT97

About The Universal Hip Hop Museum

The Universal Hip Hop Museum (UHHM) established in 2013, is dedicated to the preservation, protection and advancement of Hip Hop Culture worldwide. The UHHM was created to ensure that the culture which began on the streets of the South Bronx in the 70’s, and then evolved to become the world’s most popular art-form, has a permanent place that it can call home The UHHM is a place where millions of people from around the world who acquired their cultural identity and awareness from the power and influence of Hip Hop, have unfettered access to a museum that oversees the cultural administration and curation of Hip Hop and its legacy. www.uhmm.org

About Generation Hip Hop

In 2016, the Universal Hip Hop Museum launched Generation Hip Hop to support its global social investment and programming agenda. Generation Hip Hop is an advanced, global, sustainable development initiative designed and initiated to facilitate vital youth empowerment and development programs, through all elements of Hip Hop. With qualified and committed operations teams in 32 countries, GHH is a creative and organic program with vast reach and credible association led by